Today we interviewRough House Comics, an Austin-based comics collective specializing in riso prints of their work! It is at turns surreal, obscene, hilarious, and thought-provoking stuff. Read more below!

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ZFH: How did Rough House come together? What would you say is the glue that holds the collective together in terms of style/content, if any?

RH: Rough House came together as a group of Austin cartoonists who wanted to leave their studios once in a while and engage with other artists with similar interests. Soon after, we purchased a Risograph and quickly started working on an anthology to showcase the best cartoonists we could find in town. We then startinglooking beyond Austin to include quality work from both established and unknown comics artists from around the world.

ZFH: Why do you create zines?

RH: Books are a format that humanity has been experimenting with longer than most of the media we encounter on a daily basis. In this digital age it’s nice to experience a work of art that takes up space in the physical world. The sense of touch is more important than we give it credit for.

ZFH: Why do you like zines?

RH: There are no rules and they are relatively inexpensive to produce.

ZFH: How did you become interested in zines?

RH: When people think of zines they often think of black and white photocopied punk zines. While this tradition is certainly a contingent in the zine community, we came to zines from the tradition of artist books and mini-comics and that’s where our focus lies.ZFH:

What is your favorite part of zine fest?

RH: I attended Zine Fest in 2012 and had a great time meeting other artists and zine enthusiasts. There’s such a great sense of encouragement and community at events like this.

ZFH: What is something that you’re looking forward to about the 2014 Zine Fest Houston?

RH: I heard the venue is great and I can’t wait to check it out.

ZFH: What are your favorite zines/mini-comics etc.?

RH: The last few years have seen a small explosion of micro-publishers of comics. There are now dozens of comics subscription services that are usually printed, stapled, and distributed by one or two people on a very small budget. It’s great to see that the internet has only strengthened the print community. I like the work that’s being put out by Space Face, Retrofit, Oily, and Sparkplug among several others.

ZFH: What made you decide to participate in the 2014 Zine Fest Houston?

RH: We attended the MenilFest and had a great time. Everyone told us to go to Zine Fest. Houston always treats us well.

Gillian Rhodes

ZFH: What new projects are you working on this year?

RH: We’ll be publishing various mini-comics in the coming months including a SummerZine, some collaborative comics, and a comic by Austin artist James Roo. And we’ll hopefully have the next Rough House anthology out in the spring.

ZFH: What is something you think people should know about DIY in Houston?

RH: It exists!

ZFH:Haha! Short and sweet. Love it.What will be on your table at this year’s Zine Fest?

RH: We will have copies of our latest anthology, Rough House 2. It contains comics from over a dozen artists. We’ll also have various mini-comics available.

ZFH: What other creative ventures do you have besides making zines?

RH: The members of our collective are individually involved in creative endeavors that range from music and painting to figure skating. Our love of comics brings us together.

ZFH: Why does self-publishing appeal to you?

RH: It allows you to work with minimal financial risk, which in turn allows for greater artistic freedom.

ZFH: What is the concept behind your zine/zines?

RH: We just aim to publish interesting comics. The avant-garde and slapstick comedy are equally at home on our pages.

ZFH: How long have you been creating zines?

RH: Our collective formed in 2012 but our members have been producing mini-comics for some time before that.

ZFH: What is/are your favorite place(s) in Houston?

RH: The Orange Show

ZFH: What do you think the zine/self publishing scene in Houston will be like in 20 years?

RH: Hopefully it will just continue to grow stronger and gain more visibility.

Today’s zinester feature highlights Vice Versa Press out of Austin! We’re really pleased to have them join us for ZFH 2013; it was great to see other Texans when we were up in Portland for the Portland Zine Symposium, and it’s great to have these neighborinos joining us in Houston for ZFH 2013! Yay!

What is your favorite part of zine fest?

My favorite part of zine fest is joking around with other tablers and inevtiably finding ways to fight the awkward moments that selling ones good entails.

What is something that you’re looking forward to about the 2013 Zine Fest Houston?

Seeing familiar faces and forming better friendships with other zinesters. Maybe having a few cigarettes outside. Smoking a spliff would be cool.

The fact that 2013 Zine Fest Houston was being held at the Museum of Printing History is awesome. As a printmaker, I’d be a traitor if I did not go.

What new projects are you working on this year?

I’m completing “Guide to Dating Gangsters vol. 2″. It’s been two years since the first issue was released and I’d hate to give anyone the idea that I’ve had any dating dry spells. Just a few close encounters/ it’s complicated.

What is something you think people should know about DIY in Houston?

The fact that DownTogether House is AWESOME. I hung out there for a little bit post-Zine Fest last year and had a really nice time. Got to sleep in the hammock and shoot the shit in general.

Why does self-publishing appeal to you?

Self publishing appeals to me because it is virtually uncensored. I can print what I want. No sales quota to meet. No audience to cater to. Just me, some sharpies, a couple travel tales, and the copy machine. Plus, I can control ALL the elements of my publication through self publishing. I’ve got the power.